One arm broken, both legs completely wrecked - I could barely even stand. No wait... the fact that I'm still standing is basically a miracle! But my body feels so heavy, I can barely move at all.
Here it comes... that hellhound! But even so, my other hand can still use the gun. You bastard! As long as I'm still breathing, I'll never give up!
"RAAAHHH!"
Come on then! I gritted my teeth, using the last bit of strength I had left to charge my nearly destroyed body at it. All I could think about was taking it down with me. Aim... I have to aim for its kill spot!
I threw myself straight at it, knowing full well I couldn't win. But in that split second, I twisted my left arm that could still move, pointing the gun barrel at the glowing weak spot on its body.
*Bang!*
My body collapsed to the ground, completely drained. But that giant wolf just stood there, not moving... Did I hit it? No wait... I must have! I never miss! And then... soon enough, its massive body slowly dissolved into thick black slime, like it was melting into its own shadow.
"What the hell... Soul Either aren't supposed to die like that..." As soon as I thought that, I caught sight of a pool of blood flowing in a long trail from where its head used to be.
Right... Before my brain could process anything else, I felt intense pain at my shoulder. Fresh blood kept gushing out. My right arm... it was gone!
"Huh... no way..." The scene in front of me started getting blurry, the whole world going dark. But in the last split second before I lost consciousness, I saw the shadow of a man in a black suit, wearing glasses, with a thin smile on his face and a wide-brimmed hat, walking out from one of the ruined houses...
...I'm not sure how much time passed...
I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was a rotting wooden ceiling with holes letting beams of light through.
"Where... am I?" I croaked out in a dry voice, trying to push myself up. And that's when I noticed the second thing... my right arm was neatly bandaged. Someone had stopped the bleeding and treated me.
A strange feeling washed over my body. Without the other arm, everything felt empty and off-balance... I sighed quietly, trying to adjust to this brutal reality.
But who saved me? I looked around the shabby old hut before deciding to stumble outside. And that's when I saw him... the same man in black I'd seen before passing out.
"You..." Before I could ask any questions, he turned and spoke to me first.
"You're awake? I really must apologize," he said politely. I was completely confused. Apologize? For what?
"Huh?" I replied, puzzled. But while I was confused, out of the corner of my eye I spotted... a dog! Yeah... it was the same dog that had bitten my arm clean off! My survival instincts kicked in immediately. My body shook as I frantically looked for a weapon.
"Gun... where's my gun!" I used my remaining left arm to pat around my body in panic.
"Don't be afraid. He's my pet," the man in black said, gesturing toward the dog. It was now sitting calmly beside him, showing none of the vicious behavior from before. "And I must sincerely apologize for what he did to you."
With that, the man bowed respectfully to me before adjusting his glasses slightly.
"I've been the guardian here for quite some time now," he explained. "And this abandoned town of Sliver hasn't had any visitors in many years. 'Knight' here was doing his guard duty and attacks anyone he perceives as a threat."
Oh... so that's why. When I shot at it, it immediately charged and attacked me because it thought I was dangerous.
"I see... Well then, I should apologize too. I thought it was a Soul Either, so I accidentally shot at it," I replied, feeling kinda guilty.
"Oh, that's completely understandable. Knight gets especially aggressive when someone tries to harm him," the man smiled thinly. "But no matter how hard you tried, you probably couldn't have hurt him anyway. He's a 'summoned animal,' you see."
The term "summoned animal" made me realize immediately. This guy... he must be someone who successfully sealed a Soul Rift and has Shadow-type powers. Someone who can summon animals from the shadow realm!
"But your power from earlier really surprised me," the man continued, his eyes behind the glasses gleaming with interest. "And your body's healing ability is quite remarkable too. Legs broken that badly, yet after just three hours you can walk again."
Three hours? I was unconscious that long? And my legs... they really are healed!
"I suspect you're a new Soul Rift sealer," he said, like he was confirming what he'd observed.
"Yeah... I came here for a mission from a Hunter Guild job posting," I answered honestly.
"Eh? Didn't you check the date on that job posting?" he asked, sounding surprised. The date? I tried to think back... Oh right, the posting did have a date on it... What date was it again? I can't remember at all.
"This town of Sliver was declared a Soul Either-free zone back in 'Year 322 of Light and Shadow,'" he said.
"If this year is Year 325 of Light and Shadow..." the man calculated in his head, "then that mission expired about three years ago."
Three years?! I exclaimed internally. The job posting was that old? And the scary reputation I'd heard about this town must have been from way back then. But I can't believe someone actually lives here as a guardian.
"Um... what's your name?" I decided to ask.
"Me? My name is Sin," he smiled friendly.
"Ah... I'm Rift," I introduced myself back. "Nice to meet you, Sin."
"Nice to meet you too, Rift," Sin nodded. "Ah... let's get to the important matter."
His expression changed slightly, becoming more serious.
"You see... I witnessed your power earlier. It's quite interesting."
He paused for a moment, staring at me with an unreadable look before saying something that made my jaw drop.
"Rift... would you be interested in becoming my disciple?"
What?! Disciple?!